Nationwide Mural Painting Campaign for Climate Change Awareness

National Get Outdoors Day, 11 AM, Thursday, June 11, 2009Event occurs rain or shineUSDA's new "People's Garden" at the National MallJefferson Drive and 12th St SWWashington, D.C.

FOCUS (Forests, Ocean, Climate -- and Us), a nationwide campaign in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, NOAA, the National Aquarium, and the Wyland Foundation uses art and science to teach young people about our forests and ocean -- and how these two irreplaceable resources hold the future of our supplies of freshwater, climate and global environmental health.

More than 200 students from Washington, D.C. schools will paint a series of 120-square foot murals (9 AM to 4 PM) with Wyland exploring watersheds from the forests to the sea and issues of climate change.

The FOCUS program marks the first-ever outreach partnership between the USFS, NOAA, and Wyland. The campaign will engage students across the United States about the role of our forests and ocean in regulating climate through art and science activities, online programs, student documentary films, and traveling exhibitions to fundamentally change the way communities see, understand, and care for our environment. The Wyland Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization, is known for its innovative grassroots arts-based environmental outreach campaigns and monumental marine life murals in 15 countries.